Today I come writing with a story to tell all of you, a story about The Man Who Thought That He Was Dead.
This man firmly believed he was dead, even though he was a living, normally–functioning human being. Well, his wife persuaded him to visit a psychiatrist, who tried in vain to convince him that he was in fact alive. Who wants to be married to a dead guy? The wife argued.
The psychiatrist hit upon a plan. In order to help this poor soul, the psychiatrist realized that he had to introduce the man to one fact that would contradict the belief that he held, that belief being that he was dead. The psychiatrist decided to prove to the man that dead men do not bleed.
So he showed the man medical reports and scientific evidence that dead men do not bleed. He took the man to a hospital and they witnessed an operation together, so that the man could see that living people bleed when cut. Next they went to the country morgue, and the man witnessed an autopsy, seeing that the corpse did not shed blood when incised.
After thoroughly convincing the man that dead men do not bleed, the psychiatrist took out a pin and pricked the man’s finger.
When the man saw the drop of blood trickle down his finger, his eyes bugged out. "Ha!" he cried, "Dead men do bleed after all!"
My point is, that Magnificent and Honesty and the rest of the DAYTOP apologists will not believe anything I say if it is critical of the beloved program, regardless.
The truth of what we went through in DAYTOP Dallas in the early '90s doesn't matter to them. It's critical of the program, therefore I am not allowed to say it.
In a cult, abusive organization, or abusive relationship it does not matter if the information presented is true. If it is negative about the group or any member of the group, then you cannot say it. Usually such negative information will be will be labeled as slander, and if one persists in speaking it or writing it one can be disciplined severely, ultimately with expulsion from the group, or, if one is an outsider speaking ill about or being at all critical of the group, one can be demonized, dehumanized, poked fun at, humiliated, or what have you.
For saying what I have said, I have been called a failure, a phony, a liar, a person in need of help, all that.
Therefore, it's truly a waste of time IMO to bother with trying to have a rational, objective, mature discussion with any of the DAYTOPians.
They simply cannot be reasoned with.
All they'll do is twist whatever I communicate back onto me and try and make it into some personal attack. They'll give me a forum haircut. When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
There's nothing that anybody can say, some magic phrase, that will make their critical thinking skills turn on with respect to what I have brought to the table and concede that I might have a point. They'll just invalidate everything I've said and dismiss it all as "complete fabrication."
They'll invalidate everything I say as pure lies and slander no matter what evidence I bring.
It's no fabrication. I know what I know. I was there. They were not. Simple as that.
Their confirmation bias is too strong. Therefore, any attempt at dialog is futile IMO. DAYTOP in their minds is incapable of being wrong or incorrect, about anything, ever.
Trying to get through to them with logic and reason is like banging your head into a wall over and over again. After a while, it becomes painful.
To put a finer point on what I am trying to say, it's as if I am writing to the waking dead.
